Huayu 05, our science fiction movie universe

Chapter 615, "The Legend of Shushan: Demon Subduing," is now showing.

As a transitional work between the second and third phases of the StarCraft cinematic universe, "Sheep Without a Shepherd" can be considered a spicy and stimulating appetizer.

Even disregarding the final plot twist, the earlier parts of the story make it an excellent crime thriller.

Corresponding to this excellent content, the film's box office performance was naturally also quite good.

On its opening day, "Sheep Without a Shepherd," a film without any special effects or grand scenes, stood out from the crowd of films thanks to its solid plot and the actors' brilliant performances, achieving a box office success of 4670 million yuan (excluding preview screenings).

Furthermore, the film's positive word-of-mouth spread rapidly online, attracting more and more viewers to the cinema.

As a result, "Sheep Without a Shepherd" grossed 2.18 million yuan in its opening weekend, holding the top spot at the daily box office for three consecutive days and ranking first in the weekly box office chart. The film's screening rate increased directly from 37.4% to 48.8%, demonstrating the market's strong confidence in it.

The increased screening rate naturally further boosted the box office of "Sheep Without a Shepherd".

In the following seven days, the film grossed 470 million yuan, once again topping the box office charts for that week, and its total box office reached 6.88 million yuan.

If this trend continues, reaching 10 billion yuan at the box office will be no problem, which is already a huge profit for a low-budget suspense film.

Because of this, even though the movie was still showing, the production team gave each of the actors who were on the promotional tour a large red envelope.

Meanwhile, on Maoyan and Taopiaopiao, viewers gave the film high ratings of 9.5 and 9.3 respectively, ranking it among the top films released at the same time.

It even has a 7.5 rating on Douban, which is better than 87% of drama films.

Audiences praised the film as "engaging from beginning to end" and "full of thrilling plot twists," especially impressed by Li Weijie's use of film knowledge to design the "perfect crime," saying he "turned film into a weapon in real life."

The social issues raised in the film resonated with a wide audience. The film's exploration of bullying, legal and moral conflicts has been described by netizens as "a social allegory under the guise of a thrilling movie."

Lines such as "Some children are children, some children are beasts" have become popular internet memes.

Even industry insiders have remarked that "Sheep Without a Shepherd" exceeded expectations, and Galaxy Pictures has once again demonstrated its outstanding strength.

Like a dark horse, it proved the power of a good story with solid results.

Without dazzling special effects or grand scenes, it captivated the audience with its tightly woven plot and the actors' superb performances.

Even the release of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 during the May Day holiday did not have a significant impact on Sheep Without a Shepherd.

Ultimately, "Sheep Without a Shepherd" concluded its run with a respectable 13.27 billion yuan, marking a smooth transition from the second to the third phase of the [Galaxy Cinematic Universe].

The next film to be released, and one that fans of the Galaxy Cinematic Universe have been eagerly anticipating, is the first film in the third phase of the Galaxy Cinematic Universe – Wolf Warrior 3, scheduled for release in July during the summer season.

However, before that, Galaxy Pictures has another film set to be released at the end of May.

This movie is the second installment in the [Shushan Cinematic Universe] series, and it's called "Shushan: The Demon Extermination Chronicle".

However, compared to the overwhelming success of "Sheep Without a Shepherd" when it was released, there were quite a few other big-budget films released in the same period as "The Legend of Zu".

Among them is the Hollywood blockbuster "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales".

Fortunately, as a film series, "Pirates of the Caribbean" has already released its fifth installment, and audiences have long since grown tired of it. Therefore, when the two films were released at the same time and competed with each other, their box office results were neck and neck.

Furthermore, "The Legend of Shushan: The Demon Slayer" is adapted from a traditional Chinese fantasy novel, and its aesthetic style and story content are more in line with Chinese audiences, so much so that its box office performance slightly surpasses that of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales".

As for what makes the story of "The Legend of Shushan: Demon Subduing" so exciting?

This film is an excerpt from the original novel, depicting the story of the disciples of Mount Shu slaying the monstrous Beauty Python in the mountains.

To be honest, the story of "The Legend of Shushan: Demon Subduing" is not complicated.

Qi Jinchan is the son of the sect leader of the Emei Sword Sect. He is mischievous, lively, and unconventional by nature.

On this day, Qi Jinchan (played by Han Haolin) originally wanted to go to Zuixian Cliff in the back mountain with her sister Qi Lingyun (played by Wang Yinglu), but because she disliked the fairy Xu Feiniang who came to play chess with Lingyun, she went alone.

In the woods, Qi Jinchan encountered a small horse, a little over a foot long, carrying a tiny person about seven or eight inches tall at a gallop. This was none other than the precious medicinal herb "Zhi Xian".

However, Qi Jinchan, who retained a childlike heart, did not harm the magical medicine when she saw it; instead, she became its friend.

However, while running, Zhi Xian accidentally stumbled into a crevice in a cliff cave, inadvertently triggering a magical array mechanism beneath the cliff.

After the rocks collapsed, the head of a female snake demon was revealed. She opened her blood-red maw and sucked in a gust of demonic wind, which then abducted the fairy.

During this process, even though Qi Jinchan hurriedly used the golden ball to strike the snake demon, it had no effect. Instead, he was poisoned by the poisonous mist spewed by the snake demon.

When Qi Jinchan woke up, he found himself back in his cave, lying in bed with his mother, Madam Miaoyi, and his sister, Qi Lingyun, by his side.

He also learned from his mother that the snake-bodied, human-headed monster at the foot of Drunken Immortal Cliff was called the Beautiful Python. It had been sealed at the foot of the mountain by a senior master of the sect with two talismans, in the hope that the spiritual energy of Mount Emei would wear down the evil spirit in the snake demon's heart and make it reform.

Unfortunately, fate is hard to defy. The snake demon was destined to suffer this calamity. When it encountered the "Zhi Xian" (a rare and precious herb) which could increase one's cultivation by hundreds of years, it could not resist the temptation and broke a seal, kidnapping the "Zhi Xian".

With the seal broken, the Emei elder's plan failed, and the chance for this beautiful python to reform and walk the righteous path was completely cut off, thus she fell into evil.

Fortunately, the "Zhi Xian" was still a little short of fully mature, so the snake demon probably wouldn't eat it immediately. This made Qi Jinchan, who understood the situation, determined to personally eliminate the snake demon and rescue the "Zhi Xian". However, Madam Miaoyi told him that the snake demon was extremely powerful and needed the help of someone born at noon on the Dragon Boat Festival in the fifth month of the year of the Horse. This person had a peculiar destiny and was the snake demon's greatest enemy.

However, Qi Jinchan was still a child at heart and couldn't wait for the chosen one his mother spoke of. He was also worried about Zhixian's safety, so he directly pulled his sister Qi Lingyun along and also sought out Bai Xia Sun Nan, the eldest disciple of his master, the bearded immortal Li Yuanhua. Together they prepared magical artifacts and pills to exorcise demons and set up formations and traps to fight the enemy, preparing to subdue demons and eliminate evil.

Even with their thorough preparations, the three of them still underestimated the beautiful python, and their first attempt to kill the snake demon ended in failure.

Fortunately, just when they were in danger, Yan Renying (played by Zeng Shunxi), the eldest disciple of Qi Jinchan's father and the senior disciple of the Emei Sect, returned and saved them with his amazing swordsmanship, unleashing a shower of starlight sword energy.

Only then did Qi Jinchan realize that her senior brother was the one whose birth date and time were incompatible with the snake demon.

Previously, Madam Miaoyi had sent a message to Yan Renying via flying sword, asking him to borrow a set of secret treasure demon-slaying swords from Master Canxia of Huangshan, which caused the delay.

After experiencing some setbacks, Qi Jinchan has grown a lot. Once they have adjusted their state, the group once again began their demon-slaying mission.

Yan Renying naturally joined in this time as well. In the valley in front of the place where the snake demon was sealed, they split up and found the right position. They planted a set of demon-slaying swords that Yan Renying had borrowed from Master Canxia of Huangshan into the ground and set up the formation.

At noon, Qi Jinchan once again went forward to provoke the snake demon, luring it out of its seal. A spectacular battle to subdue the demon was then presented to the audience.

Qi Jinchan then unleashed thunder and fire projectiles, each a golden pellet the size of a longan, which struck the snake demon with the force of wind, fire, and thunder.

Bai Xia Sun Nan wielded the Chuxiu Sword, its sword energy like white clouds and smoke, lingering and resilient, both restricting the snake demon's movements and obscuring its vision.

As for Yan Renying, the senior disciple of Emei, he was the one with the most profound magical power among those present. He wielded a Milky Way Sword, which transformed into a galaxy of sword energy that stretched across the sky. With Yan Renying's hand seals, fine sword energy rained down, bombarding the snake demon relentlessly.

Oh, and there's also Qi Lingyun, the senior disciple of Emei, but she's the least noticeable one there.

Because the invisible flying sword it wields is a rare and wondrous sword technique treasured by Emei, possessing the Buddhist concept of emptiness and illusion, and the Taoist distinction between reality and illusion, seemingly real yet illusory, formless and colorless, and extremely mysterious.

The beautiful python, worthy of being a great demon even the seniors of Emei Sect valued, spewed out emerald green poisonous mist like viscous oil, blocking all the attacks from these juniors.

The two sides then engaged in a fierce battle in the valley, with dazzling special effects appearing one after another, making it a feast for the eyes.

Finally, when the beautiful python used its divine power to transform into a giant poisonous mist python, the demon-slaying formation that the group had laid in advance finally came into play. Countless golden blade lights shot out from the small knives buried in the ground, weaving into a fine net of blades that cut the giant poisonous mist python into scattered clouds of poisonous gas.

Even after being cut apart, these poisonous mists still possessed a kind of sentience, and they tried to transform into small snakes and regroup.

At this moment, Yan Renying also gathered the Milky Way Sword Qi, compressed it again and again, and finally condensed a beam of solar divine light with the power of stars, which shot into the center of the poisonous mist snake formation.

Amidst the blinding golden light, a piercing scream stabbed at the eardrums.

When the golden light faded, the thick poisonous fog in the center of the valley had completely dissipated, leaving only a few wisps of pale green mist, as if to prove that the beautiful python had once existed.

In the final scene of "The Legend of Shushan: Demon Subduing", a sword light appears from the horizon and lands in front of Qi Jinchan, who has just subdued the demon and rescued Zhixian. At the same time, words appear in the light.

It turned out that it was the Drunken Taoist, an elder of the sect, who sent a message by flying sword, instructing the Emei disciples to go to Ciyun Temple in Chengdu to exorcise demons and protect the righteous path, in order to accumulate merit.

Although the story of the movie "The Legend of Shushan: Demon Extermination" is not complicated, its special effects are undoubtedly superior to those of "Swords of Shushan", the first film in the "Shushan Cinematic Universe".

In this movie, the flying sword techniques of the Shu Mountain swordsmen are presented to the audience with such clarity and intuitiveness for the first time, thanks to modern special effects technology.

It wasn't like the swords flying through the air in past fantasy films and television shows, or the sword energy bombarding everything in its path. Instead, it was full of "spirituality," attacking in a unique way where man and sword were one.

When designing the flying sword technique for the "Zushan Cinematic Universe," the screenwriting department, visual effects design department, and Tsui Hark, the chief planner, held many meetings.

During the meeting, they went through countless discussions before finally deciding on a special effect style that made the sword energy as agile as a swimming fish and as clear as glass, able to provide effective feedback based on each character's every movement, as if the sword and the person were one.

In retrospect, the meticulousness and investment in special effects design were worthwhile; at least when the audience left the theater, they were still amazed by the special effects scenes they had just seen.

Especially for male viewers, the image of swords flashing across the sky, vanquishing demons and conquering the world, is probably the most dashing and cool thing in the hearts of many men, a fantasy unique to adult men.

Today, after more than a decade, they have finally seen a fantasy story on the big screen that is no less impressive than "The Legend of Shushan," featuring a unique classical Chinese style and superb special effects.

Whether it's the starry sword energy, the thunderous golden pellets, or the beautiful python with a human head and a snake's body, all of these elements, thanks to the Chinese culture contained within the film, have struck a chord with all Chinese audiences, captivating them and immersing them in such a dreamlike world of immortals and heroes.

It can be said that the success of the first two films in the Galaxy Cinematic Universe has laid a solid foundation for domestic fantasy films, pointed out a broad path for the creation of similar films, and determined that the aesthetic style of domestic fantasy films should be combined with our own traditional Chinese culture.

Yes, "The Legend of Zu Mountain" is undoubtedly a great success. On its opening day, the film grossed over 200 million yuan.

Then, over the following weekend, it also grossed 200 million and 300 million yuan respectively.

In contrast, Solo: A Star Wars Story, released at the same time, although also an adaptation of a well-known IP, did not achieve the same box office success as Zushan: The Demon Slayer.

This seems to prove once again that in 2018, an era in which national self-confidence has fully risen, for Chinese people, film and television works with their own cultural connotations are the truly popular and good works.

However, although "The Legend of Shushan: Demon Subduing" achieved remarkable success, unfortunately, a gossip news item at the end of May sent shockwaves through the entire entertainment industry.

This can be considered the biggest scandal in the entertainment industry in 2018. Its wide reach and significant impact even overshadowed the currently promoted TV series "The Legend of Shushan: Demon Slayer".

(End of this chapter)